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Wired Mom: Swim With the Sharks? |
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Written by Robin Raskin
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Call yourself a shark, clownfish or dolphin, you need to swim smart in the technology pool.
As an entrepreneurial woman you’ll always find yourself facing competition that’s bigger and better armed. And if you’re a mom who’s trying to juggle lots of lives, you’re going to need all the help you can get. Utilizing these five areas of technology can extend your reach without extending your workday.
Social Networks
Scoff all you want about Facebook and MySpace being a waste of time or the province of the high school and college scene—but building a network of contacts and releasing information to the right ones at the right time is mission critical to your business. Some social networks are more conducive to the business world than others. If it’s purely business you’re interested in, then LinkedIn.com is what you need; if your business is one that other moms would be interested in, then check out MomSpace.com.
Think Graphically
These days when everyone is trying to squeeze three days into one, you can get your message across quickly and more effectively with photos, video and graphics. If you have a product to sell or advice to give, think about creating a compelling video to post on YouTube (www.youtube.com ) or another video server. Once you get past the popular “silly videos” there’s a ton of really useful stuff. Money is often well spent on a few nicely rendered photographs or graphics. If you don’t know Adobe PhotoShop, InDesign or some other graphic software then hire someone who does.
Did you know that you can search for images, too? Yahoo, MSN and Google all let you search for images just as easily as you search for text. Try istockphoto.com for affordable stock images and illustrations. Graphic search engines like Truveo.com also let you search for video.
Access Your PC Remotely
Toting a baby on one hip and a laptop bag on the other is tough on your back (not to mention your clothing). Happily there are ways to take your computer with you virtually. Grab a flash drive to keep important files to take between home and office or to bring to a client and use their computer. Since I work between my home office and a client’s office, I use LogMeIn.com.
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